The Suzanne Gresham Center has an extraordinary array of Christmas lights on display this year featuring over 80,000 bulbs. I know because an article in the paper last week said that they had all been stolen (by the Grinch), but have already been replaced for the opening day of the drive through exhibit on December 5th.

Today may officially be Halloween, but on this day 495 years ago, monk and scholar Martin Luther ignited the Protestant Reformation by posting on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, a piece of paper with his 95 revolutionary opinions (protests) objecting to the Roman Catholic Church.

The holiday was originally established to celebrate the end of “The Great War” in 1918 and named “Armistice Day” or “Remembrance Day” until 1945, the end of the Second World War, when it was renamed “Veteran’s Day” in honor of all who served in our military – “The Great War” was hence referred to as “World War I”.

It goes back to the Ancient Order of Druids, is based on the Celtic end-of-summer festival “Sahain”, has some traits from Ancient Roman culture, and has evolved through the Old English Church to be known as “All Saint’s Day” or “Hallowed E’en”.